GRIBCG

GRIBCG (Guide RNA Identifier for Balancer Chromosome Generation) is a software tool that facilitates the creation of balancer chromosomes using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Balancer chromosomes are genetic tools used in fruit fly research to prevent meiotic recombination, and GRIBCG aims to extend their benefits to other multicellular organisms.

The tool identifies single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) that can efficiently cut a chromosome multiple times using Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) while minimizing off-target cutting in the rest of the genome. GRIBCG can help generate balancer chromosomes in various model organisms by inducing targeted chromosomal rearrangements.

GRIBCG's performance was evaluated on six model organisms, and the results were compared to those of two commonly used fruit fly balancer chromosomes. The tool provides a fast, systematic, and user-friendly framework for designing balancer chromosomes, which can accelerate genetics research in biomedical and plant sciences by extending the benefits of these genetic tools to a broader range of organisms.